I’ve always had a fascination with Chinese Proverbs. Actually, all proverbs – Irish, English, Spanish… I don’t care where the proverb came from as much as I care where it can take me. For someone as long winded as I am, the art of communicating what’s basically a life lesson within one sentence is mind-bogglingly delicious. Sometimes it’s fun to just sit with a proverb for a few minutes and let it sink in. The proverb can, on the surface, talk about ants, wolves, or housewives – but, if you dig a little deeper, you’ll see that it’s meaning is relevant to each and every one of us.
Even if we aren’t ants.
One of my favorite proverbs has been described as a “Chinese Proverb” in some places. However, most of the time it’s referred to as an English Proverb. Again, it’s origin really isn’t that important. What IS important is the fact that, within 15 words, it sums up what hundreds of self help and self improvement books try to drive home.
There is but an hour a day between a good housewife and a bad one.
You can replace housewife with any occupation, vocation, hobby, or title you can think of. It doesn’t really matter if she’s a housewife with 3 kids or a doctor with 300 patients! It doesn’t matter if he’s a yet-to-be-published writer or an author who’s a household name. This proverb is for all of us.
For me, personally, I see the beauty of this quote as it relates to writing, building websites, and graphic art. The more time you spend doing something, the better you become. You can’t possibly expect to become proficient in an area you seldom visit.
The main lesson is, of course, the fact that if you want to be good at what you do, you have to spend time with your craft. However, personally, I think the KEY lies within a three letter word…. d-a-y. You have to spend time with your craft or vocation daily if you expect to tap into your absolute best. Once a week or even twice a week simply will not yield the same results.
Is there any area of your life in which you’d like to improve? (Cooking, blogging, writing, fitness….) Dedicate an hour each day and prepare to amaze yourself.